People who make a living on the road

It's now late April and I'm one of the few people left at one of my favorite places, the Rancho Sonora RV Park just south of Florence, Arizona. Most of my "family" has gone for the summer, en route to various places in the north.

Now that the winter visitors are down to a dozen or so, I have time to reflect on the wonderful folks I met here this winter. Though I was gone much of the winter, storing my truck and trailer at Rancho Sonora while I skied with a friend in Taos; visited my family in California; flew to Antarctica to photograph penguins; flew to North Carolina to see that special man in my life, Mike; and moseyed on down to Mexico with a friend in her mini-motorhome, I always felt welcome upon my return. If I didn't get a hug, I'd certainly get a smile.

That's one of the things I love best about full-timing. I love being in a place where everyone is like family. A place where friends meet year after year to share in their experiences. They share the good times, and they listen when someone talks of the bad times, too. People share stories about common interests, common ailments, common family problems. People also share their professions, if they still have them. Although many of the folks I meet are retired, some, like me, are making a living while traveling in their RVs. Because I'm younger than the average RVer, most folks think I can travel because I'm independently wealthy. The fact is, I'm not wealthy, at least not in a monetary way. Instead, I work as a full-time freelance writer, photographer and book author. I've been working and living this lifestyle for more than 14 years now and have loved almost every minute of it. My bank account doesn't indicate I'm rich, but the opportunity to see and do what I want certainly makes me feel like the richest woman in the world.

At Rancho Sonora, I had the opportunity to meet a few others who are making their livings on the road, or at least helping to make ends meet. Kate Skelton is a 65-year-old seamstress from central Illinois. Married, with four children and 12 grandchildren, Kate and husband Darrell have been traveling part-time in their 32-foot travel trailer for five years. She put up a sign offering her services here at the park, and I immediately took advantage of it. So did some others. In fact, she was busy most of the three months she stayed at the park.

One day, while I was doing my laundry, I met Carl Trinkle, a Minnesotan who flies a crop duster in the summer and flies with Warbird Rides of America-(800) 304-3197-in the winter. Carl was living in a rented RV, and while he's tried living the RV lifestyle, he's just not into it. I know it's tough to believe, but he says he's just too cramped in one. Still, Carl was in Arizona, missing his wife, who was back home, and flying from the Marana Air Base, where his father had flown the same kinds of planes 50 years before.

Carl works for Richard and Jeanne Zisa, fellow RVers who love the lifestyle. "It's so nice," says Jeanne, who claims they might go full-time in the near future. (They currently travel 11 months of the year.)

The couple, both pilots and both in their SOs, are Florida residents, who offer rides in their fully-restored, authentic AT6 (Advanced Trainer) airplanes. Before moving to a new location, they advertise in major newspapers, collecting reservations prior to their arrival. If you've ever dreamed you were flying in the romantic '40s, or know someone who does, you might consider going for a 15-minute to one-hour ride in a vintage plane. Jeanne says it's an ideal gift for the holidays, anniversaries, birthdays and graduations.

Jeanne claims their livelihood "started out as a hobby and turned into a business." Jeanne also offered to tell me about an employee of theirs who also lived at Rancho Sonora. Bill Wood, from Texas, is one of their mechanics. He and his wife, Colleen, travel with a young son, who is homeschooled. They're on the road 10 months of the year.

Although I'm sure there were others at the park who may have been working while living the full-time lifestyle, I wasn't around often enough to meet them. But I have met some other interesting RVers at various RV parks.

Once, while I was living in Brookings, Oregon, I met Rip Burdick. He and his wife traveled full-time in a motorhome, with Rip making flies and offering free fly-fishing demonstrations. After the demonstration, he'd sign up students who were interested in learning the craft.

Another time I met a photographer and his wife. They followed the rodeo circuit, photographing cowboys and cowgirls, and then developing the film in their own darkroom, fashioned in their travel trailer. After making prints, they'd sell them to rodeo participants, thus making a living on the road. The couple also homeschooled their children. They felt the kids were learning a lot more while seeing the country than they would have in a classroom.

I know I've learned so much while traveling year-round. I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that traveling isn't just about the wonderful places out there for me to explore. Traveling is about the special people I meet. Meeting folks and making friends around the world is what makes traveling worthwhile. Traveling is people: The scenes and wildlife are just an added bonus.

As I continue my full-time travels, I'm going to make a list of some of the more interesting lifestyles I come across on the road. It will include more treasures for yet another column.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Mar 1999
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